Dynamo Moscow defender Daniil Pylenkov, 22, became the capital club’s first rookie in the KHL offseason. It is not surprising, because for one of the most progressive defenders in the country a real felling broke out in the transfer market, in which the general director of the blue and whites Alexei Sopin had to be proactive in order to get the desired trick. their ranks
The past season for Pylenkov has developed in the most saturated way. Daniil started the regular season with SKA, but then, along with Alexander Samonov, became a member of a memorable trade with Severstal. In the Cherepovets club, a native of Yegorievsk immediately took the lead, and in the playoffs he scored 5 (1 + 4) effective actions in the series with the future winner of the CSKA Gagarin Cup.
In an exclusive interview with the Championship, the silver medalist of the 2020 World Youth Championship shared his positive emotions from moving to the capital club, analyzed the results of last season, answered the question of what distinguishes the Moscow army team from other leagues. clubs, and also named the blue and whites’ main objective for the new season.
“Many clubs were interested in me. I was ready to play everywhere and I am very happy that I came to Dynamo.
Daniel, how was your vacation? Did you have time to completely relax before starting preparations for the next season? — The holidays went quite well, since Severstal was already eliminated in the first round, and I had a lot of time to rest, recover and heal all the injuries. I went with my family, I even had time to rest twice, and now I am completely focused on the new season.
– At the moment, you are one of the most high-profile newcomers to Dynamo Moscow. With what feelings did you perceive your move from Severstal, which officially took place already on the first day of the off-season? “Actually, it was not resolved in a day. The end of the playoffs came, and I knew that many teams were interested in me, but it turned out that the Dynamo chose me and got me. I am very happy to be in this great club.
– When the exchange to Moscow took place, information appeared in the press that returning to the capital region was almost a priority for you when choosing a new club and, in particular, it was for this reason that you yourself refused the options with the east the best clubs. How true is this? — I have not heard such information. In this situation, nothing depended on me, since I was a restricted free agent. Therefore, it was not about me, but about the agreements between the clubs themselves.
How did Daniil Pylenkov become a Dynamo player?
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– That is, in principle, would you calmly accept the transfer to Magnitogorsk conditionally or to Kazan itself? – There would be no problem for me here, because I am ready to play everywhere. But it’s good that I ended up in the Moscow club, and especially Dynamo, in which I already played at school. I can say that this is not a new club for me.
– Dynamo Moscow really did a great job to win the fight against many of the top KHL clubs. Do you have such high expectations and feel additional responsibility? – Of course, I feel some excitement, but at the same time, Dynamo acquired me to help the team achieve the Gagarin Cup. And I will try to do my best for the club and the team.
– “We need to catch our breath and make the right decision”, – with these words you answered the question in March about a possible departure to Tampa, which owns the rights to you abroad. Why did you think that the right decision is to stay in the KHL? “It will be better for my family now. In the future I consider the option with the NHL, but for now that is the case.
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“SKA’s trade happened unexpectedly. This situation has hardened me.”
– Last season you started in the main team of SKA. How unexpected was the exchange to Severstal, where you were sent along with Samonov? “For me and my family, everything happened really unexpectedly. It didn’t even mean anything. But I am glad that such a situation has developed in my life, because it hardened me and gave me even more incentive to want to prove that SKA made a mistake by making such a trade.
Daniel Pylenkov
Photo: photo.khl.ru
– At Severstal, you immediately took on leadership roles in the team. Do you fit so quickly into Andrei Razin’s system? “Everything went well thanks to the coaches, staff and players who accepted me very well in the new team. In general, I personally knew very few people in Severstal, but I quickly joined the team, for which I am grateful to every player and every person in the Cherepovets club. It helped me a lot that I joined a good team. And the team played well. I wasn’t afraid of making mistakes and I played my game to the best of my ability.
How would you describe Razin himself? How is he in dealing with hockey players? – A good trainer, a good specialist. Somewhere a bit short-tempered, but he always wants the player to progress and become a good hockey player.
It is well known that he sometimes practices boxing sparring with his players. Have you tried it on yourself? No, why would he train with me? (laughs) Everything was fine with us, no wrongdoing.
“Few people believed that Severstal would win at least one match against CSKA”
– If you look at the results of the last tiebreaker, we can conclude that Severstal was actually the closest to stopping CSKA’s championship move (3-3 in series, 2-0 in Game 7). How did he manage to impose such resistance in Fedorov’s team? – Few people believed that Severstal would win at least one match, because CSKA had been 4-0 in the first round for so many years. But we knew we could and we didn’t want to give up. And I think CSKA realized after the first or second game that we would not give up so easily. In this series, Severstal showed a team character.
Sergei Fedorov and Daniil Pylenkov
Photo: photo.khl.ru
– What feelings did you have after the end of the seventh game? Satisfaction at a successful season or a feeling of annoyance at such an insulting loss? – We definitely had no satisfaction, because we could win. They won 2-0 in the seventh game, but those who watched that game fully understand everything that happened. That’s life.
– If we talk about purely hockey moments, what is the main phenomenon of CSKA, what do they bring so much to key moments? – They have more experience, both the experience of the seventh games and in general. Year after year, this team undergoes minimal changes, a season in which the same players have been playing. They act as one team and already feel better than any other team.
“If Torpedo plays well, maybe some club will take over his trick”
– Dynamo has become your third club in the last year and a half. How difficult is it for a player to change the setting so often at a young age? – You correctly noted that I am still young. Where they tell me, I go there. From SKA to Severstal, the exchange took place in one way, here in another. Now I changed teams in the summer, so there was time to prepare the move, and in this sense it turned out easier than when I moved from St. Petersburg to Cherepovets.
Daniel Pylenkov
Photo: photo.khl.ru
– Who do you know better in the new club, if you remove Yegor Morozov, who also moved to Dynamo from Severstal? – I know a lot of players in Dynamo, so I would not like to single out anyone separately. I keep in touch with many members of the team.
– What was the first thing that the head coach of the team Alexei Kudashov said when they met, what did he emphasize? – After the exchange, we call him. Alexey Nikolayevich welcomed me to the team, he told me about the training camp plan, explained my role in the team and wished me good luck.
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— Alexey Nikolayevich is a well-known supporter of the earliest possible collection of players for preseason. At the same time, a new trend is emerging in the KHL – Igor Larionov assembles Torpedo in early August. Do you think there is a future in the league behind this approach?– In my opinion, on August 1, “Torpedo” goes on vacation. Let’s see how they play in the new season. If they perform well, then maybe some clubs will look to and adopt this role.
– When you moved to Dynamo, did you radically change anything in your preparation for the new season? Alexey Kudashov has a lot of running exercises, and for many this becomes a test in Bor. – I tried to prepare according to my system, but in fact I added running somewhere, because I knew about this function.
